5 MINUTES WITH...

Alison Hammond, who’s currently brightening up our screens on Saturday evenings with comedian Joe Lycett in the BBC’S quirky new game show, The Time It Takes

What was it like working with Joe?

Me and Joe just got on like a house on fire. He’s so funny and clever – I love working with him and the contestants loved him, too. The audience were in stitches – they had to cut out so much of the show, because otherwise it was like going to one of Joe’s standup shows. The outtakes were fab.

Where did the idea for Time It Takes come from?

It’s such a simple idea and so good. It came about when two of the producers were in their flat and one started making some toast. The other one said, “Ask me some questions when I’m making the toast and see how many I can get in the time it takes to make the toast.” I hope people enjoy it, because it was just so much fun to film, it didn’t feel like work. The BBC is trusting two Brummies with a very important primetime TV show!

What’s your role?

I’m the quiz show’s host assistant, the sidekick who looks after all the timers and performs them all.

What are some of the timers you have done?

They’ve come up with some crazy ideas – I had to melt butter through a sieve, using a hairdryer. I also came up with my own timer – I was sitting in my dressing room, looking at my fruit bowl, and there were some blueberries and a straw in my glass. So I started sucking up the blueberries with my straw and putting them into a bowl. I thought it would be a really good timer, so I showed the gamemaster and they used it – I was so chuffed! I’ve taken them all home, so when people come to my house, they don’t just have a cup of tea, we play little games! It’s one of those shows that will hopefully bring families together. It’s got great guests, too – Debbie Mcgee, Paul Chuckle, Jeff Wright. It’s new, fresh and you get me and Joe – what more do you want from Saturday night TV?